"It’s going to take a lot of organization. It’s going to take a lot of messaging. And it’s going to take a lot of money. To do that takes time," said Johnson.

Schauer was among the thousands of protestors who demonstrated last December at the state Capitol against the Right to Work law signed by the governor.

Snyder has indicated he intends to seek a second term, and is expected to formally announce later this year or early in 2014.

Bobby Schostak is the Michigan Republican Party chairman. He says state Republicans are ready to pounce on Schauer’s record in the state Legislature and Congress.

"We will make that very clear when you are voting for higher taxes, and more spending, and more regulation. It’s wrong for Michigan, and we will get that message out loud and clear, so we see him as very vulnerable," said Schostak.

Schauer is from Battle Creek, which is also the boyhood hometown of Governor Rick Snyder. Some of the issues in a Snyder-Schauer race could include spending on schools, local emergency managers, and the state’s new right-to-work law.